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Sufism
Sufism '''(also called '''Tassawuf) is a group or branch in Islam with a mystic path or system. Someone who practices Sufism is called a Sufi, a Dervish or a Fakir. Origins At first, Sufism only meant making Islam more personal and internal. Some say it first came from constantly reciting the Qur'an, meditating, and through experience. Others have held that Sufism is striving to live like the Holy Prophet Muhammad, bringing you closer to Allah, to God. This is because the Prophet taught his disciples. Additionally, the Muslim conquests had brought large numbers of Christian monks and hermits, especially in Syria and Egypt, under Muslim rule. They were practitioners of a deeply spiritual and mystical (even 'Platonic') way of life and many of their techniques and methods came to be incorporated into very early Sufi practice. Some of these teachings were then summarized in texts (in Arabic, initially). Important contributions in writing are attributed to Uwais al-Qarni, Harrm bin Hain, Hasan Basri and Sayid ibn al-Mussib, who are regarded as among the first Sufis in the earliest generations of Islam. Harith al-Muhasibi was the first one to write about moral psychology. Rabia Basri was a Sufi known for her love and passion for God, expressed through her poetry. Bayazid Bastami was among the first theorists of Sufism. Sufism already had a long history when some teachers began to set up formal schools or orders (Tarika ''or ''Tariqah) in the early Middle Ages. Almost all existing Sufi orders today trace their roots and chain of transmission (silsila) back to Muhammad, via one of these orders. Sufi ideas and principles The main idea in Sufism is that people can have 'personal knowledge' or oneness with God in their lives. In order to be one with God, you have to destroy your idea of yourself, or your ego. This is known as fanaa (annihilation). Apart from saying Sufi prayers, that very according to different orders, you should be humble, considerate, and only act in order to control your desires. After fanaa is acheived, the you are reborn to live with, in, through and for God, (baqaa, permanency). This is the state where you have acheived the divine love of God, and come even closer to a unity with God. You should now strive to be one with God. A person who has crossed the various Sufi 'stages' and achieved this sort of mystic union with Allah, is called Wali (a saint or friend of God) and the state is termed Wilayat ''(friendship/union). Sufic Orders In Sufism, there exists many different orders (''tarikas), that were founded from the 12th and 13th centuries until today/contemporary times. Some of the major Sufi orders are: *Qadiri or Qadiriyya; *Chishti or Chishtiyya; *Suhrawardi or Suhrawardiyya; *Naqshbandi or Naqshbandhiyya; *Mevlevi or Mevleviyya; *Rafai or Rafaiyya; Notable Sufis Some of the major, notable Sufis in history, from the 'classical age' of Sufism, include: *Uwais al-Qarni *Dhul Nun Misri *Junaid of Baghdad *Rabia Basri *Hasan Basri *Bayazid Bastami *Ibn ul-Arabi *Al-Ghazali *Abd al-Qadir al-Gillani *Ahmed Ar-Rifai *Ali al-Hajvery *Moin-ud-din Chishti *Farid-ud-din Ganj Shakar *Nizam-ud-din Auliya *Hakim Omar Khayyam Modern practitioners, who have achieved the degree of sheikh (Master/Preceptor) and are accounted to have a high spiritual status, are sill found in various places. Category:Islam Category:Mysticism